The invention relates to a single serve dispenser for cooled beverages that use individual disposable beverage pouches or cartridges and in which the dispensed beverage may, or may not, be carbonated.
Single serve dispensers for hot beverages are popular as they allow individuals to quickly brew a fresh cup of their favorite flavored hot beverage in a reasonably economic way.
Having a similar device for cold flavored beverages should be as popular. There are, however, problems in producing cold beverages from single serve cartridges, and currently, there are no single serve container/delivery systems for serving cold beverages.
A significant problem is serving temperature. While coffee is best made at about 195 degrees Fahrenheit, even hot coffee is only drunk at about 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The flavor of the coffee is, therefore, not diminished when the boiling hot water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit is cooled significantly as it comes into contact with the contents of the disposable beverage cartridge.
With cold drinks, a problem is that sodas and juices such as, but not limited to, Coca-Cola™, Pepsi™, or Minute Made™ Orange juice, taste best when consumed at a temperature of around 34-36 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is important both because warm drinks are less able to maintain carbonation, and warm drinks melt more ice, diluting the optimum syrup/water ratio. As the best refrigeration unit is only going to maintain water at a temperature of about 33-34 degrees Fahrenheit, and the disposable beverage cartridge or pouch is at room temperature, i.e., 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the device has to be carefully constructed so that the single serve beverage is not dispensed at an unpleasantly—or at least, sub-optimal—warm temperature.
A second problem is the nature of the contents of the disposable beverage pouch or cartridge. With hot drinks, the contents of the pouch or cartridge are typically granules or powders that are easily dissolved into the hot water, making the system essentially self cleaning. With cold drinks, the contents of the pouch or cartridge are typically concentrated, often sugary, syrups. These syrups can, if the device is not carefully designed, re-coagulate and contaminate the dispensing elements. Not only may this reduce the efficiency of the process, but it may lead to cross-contamination of the flavor of the beverage, spoiling the user experience.
A third problem is the mix ratio, i.e., the ratio of the volumes of water to syrup or concentrate that must be combined for the optimum taste experience. These ratios tend to be more exacting for cold beverages because the resultant cold beverage is a combination of the two kinds of liquid, rather than an infusion of an ingredient into the primary liquid as in a hot drink.
A fourth problem is dispensing time. With hot drinks dispensing time is usually 30 to 60 seconds, the water flows through the cartridge where it fuses with the dry ingredients, sits for a few seconds to steep, then exists into the users cup. With a cold beverage, dispensing time should take between 4 to 6 seconds, especially with carbonated beverages, because the CO2 gas starts to leave the liquid as soon as it is mixed which will affect drink quality.
A fifth problem is the method of dispensing. With hot drinks the liquid flows through the cartridge or pouch and mixes inside a brewing compartment where the ingredients fuse. With a cold beverage, especially carbonated ones, this method will cause excessive off-gassing of the carbonated liquid when it mixes with the syrup/concentrate causing the mixture to excessively bubble and foam which creates a mess and affects the quality of the drink. My cold beverage dispensing method is constructed to avoid these issues.
The preferred method of dispensing a beverage according to the present invention is with a pouch, which is preferred over a beverage cartridge. A pouch is preferred for several reasons. Pouches generally have longer shelf stability than cups or cartridges due to the impermeable material they are made from, foil vs. plastic. Pouches offer a better shipping and packaging footprint than their cartridge/cup counterparts. Storage and handling is much more efficient for a pouch since pouches can be displayed on racks for the retail countertop and refrigerator racks for the consumer to hang the pouches on. The pouch offers the best method to dispense the syrup contents in a metered way that lends itself to the post mix dispensing technology disclosed herein.
It is these, and related, problems associated with dispensing small quantities of cold beverages from a disposable beverage container that our inventive disposable beverage pouch or cartridge and dispensing device address.